LittleGecko
Songster
- Jul 5, 2014
- 85
- 35
- 121
Hi everyone.
Back in October the other half, our daughter and I made our twice yearly trip to the local rare breed auction. I was really excited as I had seen in the sale catalogue that there was a single Ayam Cemani pullet for sale paired up with a Rhode Island Red hen. (poultry can only be sold as same or opposite sex pairs or trios).
I know that there are a few Ayam Cemani keepers in North Wales so was desperate to see if this was a genuine bird. When we arrived we rushed straight over to that cage and sure enough there was a fine RIR and a Ayam Cemani pullet. we hung around for ages and it became clear that it was a buyers auction with fine pure bred birds going for low, low prices and no one seemed to be aware of quite what this pullet was and I got the cage for £22.
Now to my questions.
The Cemani pullet (Leena we call her) is very black. Black beak,legs,claws,comb,wattles,mouth,tongue and very dark eyes. Also most of her feathers are jet black with a lovely shine of green and purple that looks almost oiled. However she has a few dark cream feathers just behind her comb (those tiny ones) and a few of the shafts on her primary feathers are also a dark cream although the feathers themselves are black.
I can find very little information on imperfectly coloured Ayam Cemani chickens although there are mentions of pure bred birds with a few non black feathers and other things such as white claws or grey tongues. Is Leena likely to be a miss marked pure bred or a very black cross?
I was also wondering if it would be worth getting a good Ayam Cemani cockerel to see if the feather defect would breed out if she isnt a cross.
And also what are Ayam Cemani crosses like? Does any of the black feathering, black skin, etc, come through in crosses?
I don't breed chickens to make money, but for the pleasure of it and any of the few that I raise that don't go to other flocks we eat at about 8 months old after they have spent the summer out with the flock.
I have a mixed flock of pure and cross bred chickens, A Barnevelder cock and hen, A silver blue orange duckwing Brahma cock and a blue partridge Brahma hen, the RIR hen I mentioned, a Cream Legbar hen, 2 blue Araucana hens, 2 easter egger hens, a black Pekin hen, a Goldline hen and a Sultan Araucana cross pullet. I love the mixture of bird and egg colours and have hatched a few very beautiful cross and pure bred birds over the years, Last years best were a pure Brahma hen, white with all over black speckles and a Brahma x Legbar hen, white with slate grey and buff speckles all over. Both now a few streets away with a friends flock!
Back in October the other half, our daughter and I made our twice yearly trip to the local rare breed auction. I was really excited as I had seen in the sale catalogue that there was a single Ayam Cemani pullet for sale paired up with a Rhode Island Red hen. (poultry can only be sold as same or opposite sex pairs or trios).
I know that there are a few Ayam Cemani keepers in North Wales so was desperate to see if this was a genuine bird. When we arrived we rushed straight over to that cage and sure enough there was a fine RIR and a Ayam Cemani pullet. we hung around for ages and it became clear that it was a buyers auction with fine pure bred birds going for low, low prices and no one seemed to be aware of quite what this pullet was and I got the cage for £22.
Now to my questions.
The Cemani pullet (Leena we call her) is very black. Black beak,legs,claws,comb,wattles,mouth,tongue and very dark eyes. Also most of her feathers are jet black with a lovely shine of green and purple that looks almost oiled. However she has a few dark cream feathers just behind her comb (those tiny ones) and a few of the shafts on her primary feathers are also a dark cream although the feathers themselves are black.
I can find very little information on imperfectly coloured Ayam Cemani chickens although there are mentions of pure bred birds with a few non black feathers and other things such as white claws or grey tongues. Is Leena likely to be a miss marked pure bred or a very black cross?
I was also wondering if it would be worth getting a good Ayam Cemani cockerel to see if the feather defect would breed out if she isnt a cross.
And also what are Ayam Cemani crosses like? Does any of the black feathering, black skin, etc, come through in crosses?
I don't breed chickens to make money, but for the pleasure of it and any of the few that I raise that don't go to other flocks we eat at about 8 months old after they have spent the summer out with the flock.
I have a mixed flock of pure and cross bred chickens, A Barnevelder cock and hen, A silver blue orange duckwing Brahma cock and a blue partridge Brahma hen, the RIR hen I mentioned, a Cream Legbar hen, 2 blue Araucana hens, 2 easter egger hens, a black Pekin hen, a Goldline hen and a Sultan Araucana cross pullet. I love the mixture of bird and egg colours and have hatched a few very beautiful cross and pure bred birds over the years, Last years best were a pure Brahma hen, white with all over black speckles and a Brahma x Legbar hen, white with slate grey and buff speckles all over. Both now a few streets away with a friends flock!